With 405 career victories, head coach Keri Becker holds the honor of being the winningest coach in Ferris State softball history.
Becker is ranked 45th in victories among the NCAA Division II active softball coaches. Under her direction, the Bulldogs have averaged 31 wins per season and earned an overall conference title in 2000. The Bulldogs also have won three Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournaments and three NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Championship titles in 1998, 1999, and 2005.
In just her second season at Ferris, Becker led the Bulldogs to their first-ever regional title in 1998 and then coached the team to a third-place finish at the NCAA Softball Championships. At the time, the third-place finish marked the highest national finish in Ferris State women’s athletic history. In 1999, Ferris set a single-season record with 46 victories.
In 2008, Becker helped the Bulldogs claim an NCAA Division II Regional Championship title and a fifth-place tie at the 2008 NCAA Division II Softball Championships.
Becker said she did not even realize she was at the 400 mark in wins until the announcement at the game. She said she was truly surprised, which is why it means that much more to her. Becker sees her coaching career ending where it started, at Ferris, but not until she racks up some more wins.
“It motivates me, it inspires me, and it re-energizes me and it came at a time when I needed these three things the most,” said Becker. “Getting to 400 has been motivating for me, so 500, here I come.”
Before coming to Ferris, Becker was an assistant coach at Saginaw Valley for two seasons. Becker also played softball at SVSU where she received all-conference first-team honors for four straight seasons and was a two-time academic all-league selection. Becker served eight years in the United States Army Reserve from 1992-2000 and held the rank of sergeant. She was called to active United States Army duty in 2003, which prevented her from coaching during the 2003 season. n